Ancelotti declares Martin Odegaard signing a ‘PR Stunt’

Former Real Madrid manager Carlos Ancelotti has declared that Real Madrid’s signing of talented 16-year old Norwegian Martin Odegaard no more than a ‘PR Stunt’.

The claims come in his new book Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matche, where Ancelotti claimed;

“When Florentino buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it. Furthermore, the president decided that he would play three games with the first team as a public relations exercise. He could be the best player in the world, but I don’t care because he was not a player who I asked for. That signing was to do with PR.”

Whilst Odegaard’s super skills astonished millions worldwide on YouTube, Ancelotti wasn’t impressed with the interference of then Real Madrid President Florentino Perez in selecting his squad.

Since his signing, numerous reports have suggested that the youngster’s attitude caused conflict with staff and fellow team members. It’s alleged that Odegaard refused to train with the Real Madrid B team or Youth Squads, instead, insisting that he only train with the first team alongside the likes to Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil.

Back in 2015 when he was signed, there was a lot of commentary critisising the deal, so does this really come as a surprise given his position?